


Snow and Fur

by daydreaming_everyday



Category: Dear Evan Hansen - Pasek & Paul/Levenson
Genre: BandTrees, Dog fic, F/M, Fluff, New Year's Eve, Winter, Zoevan, for the Sincerely Us winter gift exchange, just a tiny bit angsty in the beginning, lowkey highkey domestic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-02
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-11 08:08:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28468035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daydreaming_everyday/pseuds/daydreaming_everyday
Summary: Evan and Zoe adopt a dog during winter. Fluff ensues.
Relationships: Evan Hansen/Zoe Murphy
Comments: 4
Kudos: 8





	Snow and Fur

**Author's Note:**

> This is my gift to @itstrulyastrangerthing for the DEH Winter Gift Exchange (hosted by @sincerely-us) on Tumblr! Happy New Year, and I hope you enjoy your gift!
> 
> Disclaimer: AU where Connor is alive, and there is healthy Bandtrees.

Evan fumbled with his hands. A mix of excitement and nervousness sat inside of him. 

When Zoe brought the idea of adopting a dog to him one day, he thought it was perfect. The two had more than enough time to take care of one with the holiday season. Though Evan never had any experience with pets, Zoe recalled having a golden retriever, Sadie, in her childhood. 

“Excited?” Zoe asks, remaining her focus on driving. The roads were a little icy in the late December weather. 

Evan nods, “A little scared, but I’m excited.” 

Zoe pulls into the parking lot of the animal shelter. The cold wind welcomed Evan’s face and lungs when he opened the car door, sending a chill down his spine. 

Zoe intertwines her fingers into Evan’s hand. 

“You ready?”

Evan looks at Zoe’s face. She gave him a subtle, reassuring smile. It was almost as her calm demeanor was seeping through her fingertips, transferring it to Evan’s hand. 

Evan squeezed her hand tighter, nodding. 

The shelter had a thick odar hanging in the air when the couple walked in. A lady greeted them, and Zoe explained what they were looking for. She led them to an array of dog kennels. Each dog they looked at, the lady told them their story. 

Zoe looked up at Evan each time.  _ What do you think?  _

_ Let’s keep looking.  _ Evan would reply by shaking his head. 

Soon, a dog finally caught Evan’s eyes.

A smaller dog sat in the corner of the cage. It’s back was to them, so all you could see was it’s thin light brown coat. 

“This is Buddy,” the kennel lady explained to him, “six years old. We aren’t quite sure what breed he is, but we believe he is part corgi and part beagle.” 

“How did he end up here?” Evan asked. 

“Previous family abandoned him when he got older. They preferred cuter puppies, and traded him for a much younger, purebred dog.” 

Evan’s heart ached for the dog, even feeling a little sympathy. His own father left, and traded him and his mom for another family. Evan remembered feeling hurt, probably like how Buddy feels. 

Evan knew exactly what Buddy needed. 

“Buddy barely moves though,” the kennel lady says, “there are more dogs over here.” 

“Um… could I try to…?” 

The kennel lady shrugs before unlocking the cage. 

Evan slowly enters the cage. Buddy turned his head slightly, looking at Evan. Evan noticed he had amber eyes. 

Evan crouched down. He extended his hand outwards, towards Buddy. The dog slowly, and cautiously, stood up, and began to approach Evan. Buddy extended his muzzle to his hand, sniffing Evan’s fingers. 

Buddy inched closer. Evan slowly lowered his hand on Buddy’s back. Buddy tensed at Evan’s touch. The dog looked at Evan, and Evan worried he startled Buddy. However, Buddy relaxed, and melted in his touch.

“Well would you look at that,” the kennel lady said, “Buddy usually doesn’t like to be touched by others.” 

Evan looks at Zoe, who is smiling at him. 

“Can we get this one?” Evan asks.

“I don’t think we have a choice.” 

-

Evan was getting used to having a dog around their apartment, and Buddy was used to having a home. 

“You two look comfy,” Zoe smiles, holding two mugs of hot chocolate in her hands. Both mugs visibly had tall whipped cream dollops, and were sprinkled with crushed peppermint candy canes. 

Evan was on the couch, Buddy on his lap. They were wrapped in a fuzzy blanket, and Buddy was enjoying the gentle scratches Evan was giving him. 

Buddy had started to be relaxed when Evan or Zoe had touched him. The dog had let it’s guard down to them, and was more and more cheerful each coming day. 

“Come join us,” Evan patted the spot next to him. 

“Hold on, I need a photo of my two favorite boys,” Zoe pulls out her phone, setting the hot chocolate on the nearby coffee table. 

Though Evan was usually camera shy, he gave Zoe a huge, goofy smile, making Zoe laugh as she snapped the photo. She then sits next to Evan on the couch. Evan wraps her some of his blanket. 

“This may be my new favorite photo,” Zoe comments, “look how cute you both are.” 

Evan blushes as Zoe puts her phone away. She reaches over to Evan’s lap, stroking Buddy’s fur. Buddy licks her wrist in return. 

“Are we ready to start movie night?” Evan asks, sipping his drink. 

“Yep,” Zoe says, popping open a fresh bag of plain popcorn. Buddy looked at Zoe, eyeing the snack. Zoe passed him a kernel. Buddy graciously accepted the treat. 

“Zoe!”

“Relax,” Zoe says, “it’s not going to hurt him. Connor and I used to feed our old dog popcorn all the time.” 

Evan could imagine Zoe and Connor as children, taking turns to feed Sadie handfuls of popcorn. He could also imagine Cynthia reminding them to stop feeding their dog (of course, they wouldn’t listen). 

“Okay. What type of movie do you want to watch?” Evan asks, clicking the remote, scrolling through different genres. 

They decided on a dog movie. It seemed fitting, since Buddy was in their arms to watch it. As Evan clicked ‘play,’ he curled into Zoe’s side. 

“This is the best way to beat the cold,” Evan says, taking in the warmth of Zoe’s body. 

“I’d have to agree.”

-

“He looks ridiculous.” 

“Everyone needs to be bundled up,” Evan says, picking up Buddy, “including pets.” 

Evan had dressed Buddy in a thick winter coat. Booties were on each of his paws, and the outfit was topped with a knitted dog hat. 

“Besides, I think he is rocking the outfit,” Evan jokes. 

Zoe hooks the dog leash to Buddy’s collar, “Whatever you say dear. You ready for a walk Bud?!”

Buddy wagged his tail, and began to pant. 

“Before we go, one more person has to put on some winter clothes,” Evan eyes Zoe. 

“I’m wearing a coat!” Zoe exclaims, “and it’s just a walk.” 

Evan grabs a scarf and hat, “It’s still twenty degrees outside. We don’t want mommy to be cold, right Buddy?” 

Buddy barks in reply. 

“Fine,” Zoe allows Evan to wrap her scarf around her neck, and slip her hat on her head. Once he’s done, he gives Zoe a quick kiss on the cheek. 

Just as Evan is about to open the door, Zoe grabs his hand, pulling him closer to her.

“You missed,” Zoe smirks.

Evan closes his eyes, and leans into Zoe, pressing his lips to hers. Zoe’s hands wrap around the bare spots of his neck that his scarf did not cover. Evan a breath hitches at the touch, and he wraps his arms around her lower back. 

A yip interrupted them. Zoe and Evan break apart. Buddy was patiently sitting on the floor, looking utterly betrayed. Zoe and Evan blush and giggle. 

Zoe gives Evan one last kiss before opening the door, the cool air welcoming their faces. Buddy quickly jumped outside, hopping into the fresh, fluffy snow from the previous night. He rolled around until snow covered his muzzle.

Buddy led the way during the walk, eager to look at everything ahead of him. Evan had his arm linked to Zoe’s, admiring the winter wonderland in front of them. Dark pine trees were coated with snow. The sky was blue, and not it’s normal grey. The sun was brightly shining on their faces, and snowflakes were lazily descending from the sky. 

“The weather is nice,” Evan says. 

Zoe nods, “Buddy is enjoying it.” 

Buddy was attempting to catch falling snowflakes into his mouth. Evan and Zoe giggled. 

The only downside to the winter weather is that when snow mixes with a dirt road, then it becomes muddy. Mud puddles were formed all over the road they were walking on. 

Unfortunately, Buddy jumped right into a puddle. 

Evan and Zoe gasped, but Buddy loved it. He rolled around and splashed in the sticky dirt. 

Evan lifted him up, holding him arms length out. Buddy was smiling as mud was dripping off him. 

“Looks like someone will need a bath.” 

-

Zoe carefully lowered Buddy into their bathtub. Buddy had a look of fear on his face. When Zoe mentioned that he needed a bath, Buddy did whatever it took to avoid it. 

Even if it meant trailing mud into their apartment. 

“See Bud? It’s okay,” Zoe says once his paws dipped into the water. 

Buddy splashed the water, still uneasy. 

“I cleaned up all the mud,” Evan enters the bathroom, “how are things going in here?” 

“I’m just trying to get Buddy to calm down.” 

Evan sits next to Zoe. He reaches his hand over to Buddy, scratching his ears. Buddy was still tense as Zoe gently set him down. 

“See? Not that bad,” Evan assures the dog. 

Zoe squirts dog shampoo into her hand. She allows Buddy to smell it before applying it, lightly massaging it into his fur. The soap helped the mud slip off with ease. Buddy became more relaxed with Evan’s presence and Zoe’s gentle motions. 

“The warm water must feel nice after being in the cold,” Evan says, helping Zoe rinse the soap off. 

Zoe wiggles her eyebrows, “What if we did this once we finish cleaning Buddy up?” 

“I like the way you think.” 

A mist of water droplets hit the couple as Buddy began to shake himself dry. The two turn to each other, before laughing.

“Guess he already showered us off,” Zoe chuckles. 

Evan reaches for a soft towel, and Zoe lifts Buddy out of the tub. Evan dries the dog off before wrapping him up. 

-

Evan was thankful that the cafe allowed dogs. 

“You ready to see mommy perform?” Evan cooed, holding Buddy in one arm, and a bouquet of lavender and carnation flowers in another. 

Zoe had gotten a gig to perform at a winter event at a local cafe. Evan was ecstatic to watch her perform (despite listening to her practice a couple times). 

Evan finds an open table. A waiter comes by to ask him what he would like, and he just orders a tea. 

The show began, and numerous small and local musicians arrived on stage, each singing a song, and playing many different types of instruments. 

When it was Zoe’s turn to arrive on the stage, Evan’s heart sprang with excitement. As Zoe got her acoustic guitar tuned, her eyes traced around the crowd until they found Evan and Buddy. Once she did, Evan moved Buddy’s paw to make it look like he was waving at her. A smile appeared on Zoe’s face. 

Zoe began to straighten up, and took in a deep breath. She began to strike the first chords of  _ White Winter Hymnal.  _ She began to sing softly and smoothly. 

_ “I was following _

_ I was following _

_ I was following _

_ I was following _

_ I was following the pack _

_ All swallowed in their coats  _

_ With scarves of red tied ‘round their throats  _

_ To keep their little heads _

_ From falling in the snow _

_ And I turned ‘round and there you go _

_ And Michael you would fall  _

_ And turn the white snow red as strawberries in the summertime.” _

Zoe stopped singing, still strumming her guitar. The guitar produced a soft, warm sound. She hummed along to the song. Evan closed his eyes, enjoying just the sound of her voice and guitar. 

Zoe repeated the chorus a couple more times before finishing the song. The audience, including Evan, clapped for Zoe. Buddy began to howl, cheering on Zoe. The audience chuckled.

Zoe grinned before exiting the stage, allowing the next performer to take the stage. Evan left his seat, following Zoe behind the stage. 

She beamed at Evan when he approached her.

“Amazing job! You sounded… gorgeous,” Evan compliments. 

“Thank you. That means a lot.” 

“Buddy also thought you sounded amazing,” Evan states. 

Zoe holds her arms out, and Evan places Buddy in them. Buddy nuzzled into Zoe’s chest. 

“I also got you these,” Evan displays the flowers to Zoe. 

“Thanks Ev,” Zoe leans to him, and Evan pulls her into a hug. 

“Do you think you can sing for us again tonight?”

“Always for you two.” 

-

“Evan! How does Buddy look?” 

Evan adjusted his tie as he looked over at Buddy, who was in Zoe’s arms. He wore a sparkly black bow tie. Evan and Zoe were planning to take him to the Murphys’ annual New Year’s Eve party. He would be able to meet Cynthia, Larry, Connor, Heidi, and their friends. 

“Awwww, he looks so handsome,” Evan pet Buddy’s head. 

“I tried putting the rest of his tuxedo on, but someone wasn’t cooperating,” Zoe says.

Buddy gives them a guilty look. Evan laughs. 

“I think he looks amazing,” Evan says, “and so do you.” 

“It isn’t too flashy, is it?” Zoe asked. 

She wore a black top with a metallic gold skirt. It matched Evan’s black suit and gold tie. 

“Nope. You look perfect. Don’t you agree Buddy?” 

Buddy licks Zoe’s face. 

“Thanks Bud,” Zoe presses a kiss to Buddy’s head. 

“Could I get one?” Evan smirks. 

“Buddy, could you give daddy a kiss?” Zoe teases, reaching the dog towards Evan. 

“Zoeeeee,” Evan whines, giggling as Buddy licks his face as well. 

Zoe playfully sticks out her tongue before kissing his cheek. Zoe sets Buddy down. Zoe noticed her phones started to buzz on the table. She picked it up. There were numerous different texts from her mom.

_ Cynthia: Are you and Evan coming?  _

_ Cynthia: The party has already started.  _

Zoe looked at the time. They were thirty minutes past the time they were supposed to arrive.

“Hey Evan.” 

“Hm?” Evan asks as he combs his hair. 

“We were supposed to be at my parent’s house thirty minutes ago.” 

Evan stops, “I knew we shouldn’t have waited for Buddy to wake up.” 

“In my defense, he was sleeping on my lap. What was I supposed to do, move and wake him up?”

“Fair point.” 

-

“There you two are!” Cynthia scolds Zoe and Evan when they walk into the Murphy house, wearing a dark dress and holding a wine glass in tack, “what took you two so long?” 

Before Zoe can explain, Cynthia sees Buddy in her arms. 

“Did you guys get a dog?!” 

“Mom, meet Buddy!” Zoe says. 

“Well aren’t you the cutest!” Cynthia gushes over Buddy. Zoe sets Buddy onto the ground. He sniffs Cynthia curiously before allowing Cynthia to touch him. He curled up against Cynthia’s touch. 

“He’s also such a sweetheart!” Cynthia coos. 

Cynthia calls for everyone. At the moment Cynthia said the word “dog,” everyone quickly rushed to see. The moment eyes were laid on Buddy, he was all anyone could rave about. 

-

“I think he’s enjoying the attention,” Evan chuckles. 

Jared, Alana, and Connor were crouched on the ground. Jared got the brilliant idea of using his tie for a game of tug of war. Alana and Connor were cheering Buddy on as he pulled the tie, determined to win. Earlier, Larry slid small pieces of chicken for Buddy under the table during dinner, and Cynthia and Heidi had been showering him with belly rubs and kisses throughout the night. No one even noticed when midnight hit the clock. All eyes were on Buddy. 

Evan and Zoe were sitting on the couch, watching Buddy like proud parents. 

“He’s the star of the show,” Zoe agrees.

“I’m glad we adopted him,” Evan says, resting his head on Zoe’s shoulder, “he makes everyone happy. He makes me happy.” 

“He makes me happy too,” Zoe plants a kiss to his forehead, returning her focus to Buddy, who tore the tie out of Jared’s hands. Alana scooped the dog in her arms as Jared claimed he let the dog win. 

Evan smiled, closing his eyes. He wanted to savor this moment forever.


End file.
